Monday, May 28, 2012

TOJam: Post-Mortem

Two weeks ago was the Toronto Game Jam: TOJam 2012. If you've been reading my blog, you probably know all about it. If not, then check out the TOJam site for all you need to know about it.

TOJam was a great skill development opportunity and really brings developers back to a grass-roots, guerrilla-style development cycle. It was exhausting, challenging, and ultimately, very fulfilling. The weekend was full of ups and downs, and was a great learning experience.

Chris Regnier, Tim McLennan, Jeff Canam and I, were team Unskippable Cutscene. The game we worked on was called Quotidian Shift, a puzzle game presented as a monthly calendar where you must shift around days on the calendar to avoid apocalyptic scenarios by making sure those days don't happen in the timeline.

Here's an outline of what went right, and what went wrong during the TOJam weekend.

-----------

What Went Right

1. Focused team of pros

The team was mostly made up of development professionals who have been making games for a few years, so we had a deep understanding of what we needed to accomplish and how we were going to do so. This also made communication between team members very easy, as we were all on the same wavelength.

2. Jeff's pixel art

What could have been a potential problem actually turned out to be the best part of the process. Jeff's pixel art was the big draw for our game. His images were beautiful, and were created with the most unlikely of tools (MS Paint, no less). For someone with no game design experience, Jeff produced assets on schedule and was a huge motivating force on the team. We couldn't wait to see what he'd be making next.

3. Project scope

Being experienced professionals, we knew how to keep our game's scope nice and tight. We didn't have any plans for an RPG combat system, dynamic enemy A.I., or customizable character equipment, we had a simple, and focused game experience outlined.

As a designer, I was able to immediately identify, and define, what kind of experience I wanted for the player and created a plan to bring that to life. The project wasn't too big or unmanageable.

4. No pressure

TOJam is a fun event, and we came to have fun! While the jam is an intense experience, it is not a competitive one. Everyone spends the weekend working towards the same goals and the atmosphere is pretty light. We really wanted to have something really great to show off at the end, but we knew that no matter what happened, we would be proud.

5. Managed to make some decent tools for the engine


By Sunday, some key components of the game engine had been completed and it became easier to put graphics and sounds into the game. Finishing these engine elements sped-up development significantly, but so much time was put into them in the first place (most of Friday and Saturday). Our goal was to create updates to Chris' engine that will help make it easier to develop future projects. A possible downside is that many of these features were too quickly "hacked in" and are were not created in the most efficient way possible.

-----------

What Went Wrong


1. Worked on an engine; not on a game

We were using a completely custom-built game engine to build the game, and there was a lot of work that had to be put into that engine during the weekend. Even on Sunday, very little game logic had been put into the game; engine features were being refined and figured out.

The work that was done to the engine will prove to be very beneficial in the long term, though (see conclusion).

2 .First time jammers

Most of the team (Chris, Jeff and I), had never participated in a game jam before and some of us (mostly me) were unprepared for the physical and mental toll that this event would take on us.

Jeff and I had to commute to the event, and did not bring supplies (pillows, toothbrushes, etc.), and discovered that going back home would not be an option. This made the late nights (well into 3 or 4am) much harder to deal with. And our determination to pull an all-nighter during the first night was just a recipe for disaster (what a bad idea).


3. Not enough work for the designer

The concept was completed beforehand, but there was still a lot for me to do on the first day. I wrote a bunch of documentation and outlined an asset checklist for art and defined what features would be needed for the game.

Into the second and third days, however, there wasn't a ton of work for me to do. I was formatting game assets and creating sprite sheets from Jeff's art, as well as some minor scripting. I was acting as a facilitator for everyone else, doing whatever tasks I could do to make everyone else's lives easier. Still though, I was often left wondering what more I could do for the team, and could have been busier. Next time, I will come prepared to dive head-first into the game code and will pitch-in with the programmers.

4. No testing

The game was being worked on right up until the very end. Things really came down to the wire, so there was no time for any testing. As we continue work on the game, there will be a greater focus on testing, there was just no time for it at the jam.

5. Too much time spent on an unimportant feature

Sleep deprivation may be to blame for this one. A lot of time was spent working on getting a custom font system built into the engine. Of course, the realization that we didn't even really need a working font at all came far too late (after quite a few hours had already been spent on it)

-----------

It's always great to test your limits and work within an extreme time constraint. It's a great way to learn some of the most important things when under stress: scope and priority. The most common problem that is encountered during a game jam is keeping the scope of the game tight and focused (it's all too easy for things to get out of hand and impossible to accomplish). The scope of our game was appropriate and we remain proud of what we were able to accomplish over the weekend.

TOJam was a fantastic experience and I personally feel better for having participated! I'll definitely be back next year, and every year from now on.

The story of Quotidian Shift is not over, though, as we're still at work on the game. So stay tuned for more updates!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

TOJam: Delicious Fruits of Labour

It's been a very long Saturday, but Team Unskippable Custcene has been hard at work on our game Quotidian Shift, the puzzle game of daily life and the occasional end of the world.

After two days of hard work and a complete lack of rest, we have the first screens to show off, the game's Title Screen and the main game screen.

Quotidian Shift title screen, courtesy of Jeff Canam

Quotidian Shift: a calendar-themed puzzle game


All of the art for the game (the beautiful, beautiful pixel art) has been created by my brother, Jeff. It is very important to note, that all of the art for the game is being created in MS Paint. Just wrap your head around that.

Everything is going very well, and the art is turning heads (especially the process of making the art)!

Hopefully I'll be able to post some form of gameplay footage soon!

Stay Tuned...

TOJam: My terrible Idea to work through the night

So, the rally to work through the night... was a terrible idea. A terrible, terrible idea.

Around 4am, productivity not only reached zero, but I think we were actually becoming counter-productive.

Thanks to some rest, we're back at work on the game and feelin' pretty great.

TOJam is really fun when you're not super sleep deprived.

TOJam: And so, the madness begins

As May 11th draws to a close (it's 11:45pm local Toronto time as of this writing), we've decided that the best(?) thing to do is to stay and work all night, through the night.

As we continue to work late into the night, I've realized that since it'll take me 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get home, and I have to come back into town in about 8 hours (4 hours travel and 4 hours of sleep), I'm just better off staying all night.

We'll see how the night goes...

It'll either be brilliantly productive, or a hilarious decent into madness.

Art is still being produced (and even drawing some outside attention!), the programmers are working through engine issues, and I'm finalizing screen layouts, working on documentation and researching some useful tools to make some beautiful 8-bit music.

Hopefully that second will come along, just in time...

Friday, May 11, 2012

TOJam: First signs of progress

We're a few hours into TOJam, and ideas are (slowly) turning into tangible assets.

The theme of this year's TOJam is "The world is NOT ending".

I have designed a time-shifting puzzle game that involves defying apocalyptic predictions and ensuring that the end of the world never happens. The game design is fleshing itself out as I write the design documentation.

The title of our game is "Quotidian Shift". And here's a small taste of what's to come:

The one-room apartment of the protagonist Steve Salaryman


Nuked. Here's one of many possible apocalypses that you have to make sure never happens

The game is played on a monthly calendar and the player must shift and move around dates on the calendar as our "hero", Steve Salaryman lives his life. You have to make sure that he doesn't go to sleep one night and wake up the next in a horrible, ruined reality.

Stay tuned for more updates!

TOJam 2012: The Sevening

And so, on the afternoon of May 11th, 2012, the Toronto Game Jam (TOJam) begins.

TOJam is a three day event where game developers (from professionals to amateurs to freelancers) get together to create games over a three day period. It's a feverish rush of creativity and number crunching.

As our team, Unskippable Cutscene, works through the weekend, I'll try to post as many updates as I can. Hopefully, it will shed some light on the highs and the lows of a (very) condensed game development cycle.

Now that we've officially started, here's what's going on:

The first short term goal for me, as the game designer, is to complete the game documentation (a complete outline of what the game will be and how we will create it) for when the programmers arrive (they guys will be actually building the game). I am also working with my brother Jeff, who is doing all of the pixel art for the game, on getting the look and feel of game ironed-out.

There's a ton of ideas floating around and it's my job to take everything, condense it into some useful information for the team and plan out our development process and strategy.

As of right now, things are looking very good, but the task is still quite intimidating!

What are we in for?!?!

Stay tuned...

Friday, May 4, 2012

Indie Game: The Movie - Review

Last night, I attended the Canada-wide premiere of Indie Game: The Movie. The film was broadcast via satellite to theaters all over the country, and while there were a couple of (minor) interruptions (due to a bad thunder storm), I was very impressed with the film. The premiere of the movie was followed by a Q&A session with the directors (and first time filmmakers) James Swirsky and Lisane Pajot, and Phil Fish, creator of the recently released indie game Fez.


Indie Game: The Movie offers a very up-close and personal look into the lives of some of the most high-profile modern independent game developers. The film does a great job of communicating the emotional, psychological and physical toll that comes with making an independent game.

For those who may be curious about how games are made, the film does give the viewer some small glimpses into the process. There is some insight shown into what went into making games like Fez, Super Meat Boy and Braid. Through interviews with the creators, you get a nice view of the nuts and bolts of what goes into the game and there are even some great discussions about theories on game design. Even more important to the film, though, are the stories of how and why people like Phil Fish and Edmund McMillan (one half of Team Meat, who created Super Meat Boy) got into making games. Hearing stories about their motivations and inspirations are what make this film great.

The heart of the film really is the personalities behind the games. You really do get great insight into their lives. You get to see the pressures and adversities that they face. The film acts as both an inspiration and a warning: yes, making games is very rewarding, but you had better be ready for the immense pressure that you'll feel and the sacrifices that you will have to make to get your game finished.

For me, the best part of the film was getting to know these indie gaming personalities much better. Some of these guys, like Jonathan Blow and Phil Fish are known to make controversial statements. It was really great to see what these guys are going through. In a way, the film did a great job of humanizing them. These guys are my some of my heroes, and have long been deified in my eyes. It was interesting to see them for who they really are: just people. In seeing that they are "just regular guys", I obtained this new-found respect for these extremely talented, dedicated, and even flawed personalities. These guys are just as prone to breakdowns and loss of temper as anyone else, including myself.

As film, Indie Game: The Movie is terrific. It is beautifully shot and very well cut. There some very inspired shots in the film and you really get to see some very raw moments. The film features the story of the development of both Fez and Super Meat Boy and it does a great job of juggling both stories. Because of some technical issues, about 2 minutes of the film was missed, but other than that completely minor (and completely independent of the film itself) gripe, I have absolutely no criticisms of film. Then again, I am the exact target audience for this movie.

The post-film Q&A session revealed that the filmmakers are currently working with HBO on developing a series based on the film. I am completely overflowing with joy at the thought. A series that profiles and spotlights independent game developers would really be amazing! As James Swirsky mentioned during the Q&A session: there are some films about the medium of video games that exist out there, but they mainly focus on either the business itself, or the players (stories of obsession). I completely agree, and am glad to see that this film was not only made, but that it turned out as excellent as it did.

Based almost entirely on the subject matter, this is easily one of my favorite documentary films I've ever seen. But I do want to stress to everyone else that this is an excellent film. Even with the context completely removed, this is a truly beautiful human-interest film that anyone who feels passion about a particular subject (whether it is art, film, games, or anything else) should see.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

My Gaming Log: April 2012

With April officially over, it's now time for yet another installment of my 2012 gaming log. April started off fighting game-heavy and finished off with a whole lot of retro gaming.


Click to see a full view of the April log

Fighting games dominated much of my gaming time for the first week of April, with Soulcalibur V and Street Fight X Tekken being my most played games. I'm still enjoying SFxT quite a bit and am really getting into SCV. Skullgirls, released on the 10th, gave me my next fighting game fix. It's a pretty great game, even though it is quite out of my league.

The second half of the month was dominated by old games. I completed a playthrough of Super Mario Bros. with a friend, and we both spent an afternoon working through Donkey Kong Country.

I am currently in the middle of a Metroid series playthrough; I beat Metroid: Zero Mission (substituted in place of the NES original), Metroid II (in one single 2 1/2 hour session) and Super Metroid over a few brief sessions. I am now working my way through the Metroid Prime games and will move on to Metroid: Other M and will finish off with Metroid Fusion. I'll have to wait and see just how much of May these games take up.

I am aware that the order in which I am playing the Metroid games is not the correct chronological order, it's more of a order-of-release (with Zero Mission thrown into the start).

Finally, the highlight of the month: Fez. You can read all about my thoughts on Fez. I had been waiting for this game for years, and it has not let me down. I'm going to continue playing it (despite being sidetracked with a Metroid-marathon), but I am definitely going to take my time... Fez deserves to be treated like a fine meal, better savored than voraciously consumed.

Here's looking forward to May!